Mohoje & the Backrow Mix

Next year if Mohoje plays at 7 in the world cup we are stuffed. He has no  effect at the breakdown, and of no use in the Northern Hemisphere. 
The only game on the EOYT where the Springboks played well was when Burger was at number 7. (no Mohoje). 
This gave us 3 loose forwards that were effective at the breakdown which is so important in the Northern Hemisphere.   Ball retention, protection and fast clean outs are required to get our attack going. Without an effective backrow combination we cant get any attacking movements going as the northern hemishpere refs allow rucks to become mahem. 
It would be better to start with a quota backline player than at loose forward, Mvovo is a much better rugby player than Mohoje and allmost deserves a starting place anyway. He could play on the right wing. 
Trevor Nkana at tighthead prop with Beast at loose head prop is also an option. Apparently Njana is a decent tighthead as well. He is geting better every game and if he can scrum at tighthead surely he is more deserving than the zero work rate Jannie Duplessis. 
Fat Albert may also come back into the equation as he has his best games in the Northern Hemisphere. He may not get turnovers but he hits the rucks with ferocity to clean out the opposition spoilers. His battering ram crash balls usually beat the stuffing out of the opposition as well, and allow for quick recycling. 

Duane does allot of turnovers, but we need a number 6 who is always on the ball to protect our own possession more. 
As soon as one of our ball carriers are tackled the number 6 needs to be the first man to the ruck. Mccaw is this person for the All Blacks.
To many times we had individuals making good runs, but when tackled got totally isolated. This resulted in a penalty or a turn over conceded. Rarely was it the ball carriers fault, instead it was the loosies not being quick enough onto the ball. 
We could never get the ball through phases, or at best it was extremely slow. 
A player like Mccaw and Burger adapt during the game. Both can play in any position in the backrow to test level. If their team is getting less than 50% possession they play a tighter role to protect what ever possession they have. They know that standing around the ruck waiting to be a carrier is a waist of time, if the ball is not going to be retained in the 1st place. 
Fat Albert can be effective with ball carries as he is very strong on his feet. By the time the opposition pull him over, it has given plenty of time for the support players to clean out. 

Mohoje has been more effective than Louw. Brussow is the still answer, though. Why oh why does he struggle to get selected when he produces so much? 

Mohoje more effective than Louw? Pull the other one.

 Louw has been very good for the Boks. Oupa is a non entity right now. Heck he hardly was cracking the Cheetahs starting line up.

 Let us be blunt about the Mohoje issue.  He was a bench player for the Cheetahs until Lauschagne was injured - and would have remained a bench player if the latter was available.   How he could be expected to make a success a t 7 is like trying to find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow - impossibl to find it..   
Now lets look at the issue of the loosies.   In the first instance I do not have any problems with Louw and Coetzee and Vermeuen is a champion at 8.   The main problem remains the critical no 7 position.   Lets look at the options:-
Willem Alberts

He has the reputation of being a bone-crushing tackler and a strong ball carrier.   I have my doubts about either of those two statements and h reason s are as follows:-
*   Alberts is a low work rate player with very few carries in any given match.  Over the last two years his ball carries in traffic has been few and far between - mith minimal meter gains - his avera ge gain is lss than 2 meters per carry.     He cannot arry balls in open play a he his minimal ball handling skill.   He virtually never pass balls.
*    He has the ability to make strong tackles - but far toooften he  makes only avergae tackles and often enough miss tackles altogether.   His tackle count per match is normally low comparatice to the other blindisders on international level.
*    Alberts is not the speediest loosie and has an impediment in the relevant regard.   Besides that he is clumsy as well.
*    It is a fact that Alberts plays no role in ball protection and recovey in breakdwon situations.
The fact is he is a vey limited loosie - and more a lock than a loosie.   His one theroretical posituve is his suppose prowess in maul situations.   
On balance to my mind too limited a player.
Arno Botha
A physical and very srong and more speedy player with ar more ball skills than  Alberts and has been involved in backline ttacking play.  He has speed - but is more injured than he played over the past two years.   If injury - free he would be a proposition.
Lappies labuschagne 
He was the top loosie in 2013 in Super 15, but his performances this year was marred by serious injury.  He has the best ball skills of any of theyounger hgeneration players - is very good in line outs and is the ebst ball protetion and recovery blindsider in SA.   He has good ball skills and is good in line-outs.   Probably th nearest player in form and performance to Schalk Burger.   Should he be back to his form he set in 2013 - a definite player to be considered. 
Schalk Burger
Schalk always was a top loosie and showed some very promsing signs in some atches since his return to test rugby.   However, he is injury=prone andhad some vry long absences from rugby.   He has all th skills required and I would support him, but I am not sure eh will get through Super 15 without another serious injury.
Jacques du Plessis
A rathr clumsy ball carriern with limited ball skills and not convincing in ball protection and recovery.   To miy mind more of a lock than a loosie  Physically fine - but too much like Alberts to be an effective loosie.   
Fringe Players 
Elstadt and  Whitekey springs to mind.   
I would like to see how the mentioned players perform in Super15 next year and I be=ieve th fuinal selection by Meyer would be Alberts - even if his perofrmances are as questionable as they were during the past two years and that would be a serious mistake to my mind.